thereof I suppose the ground is prepared upon which the Fundamentals of Divine Faith that is the Doctrine of Revealed Truths which by natural Reasoning no man can reach unto may be offered For as God doth make a man first by a living soul to be a natural man and afterward he becomes by grace a new creature and spirituall man so I suppose he doth 1 Cor. 15. 46. cause the Truths of Rationality concerning himselfe first to become effectual upon the conscience before the understanding is obliged conscionably to entertain Revealed Truths For he who is not capable of that measure of Faith which common Reason it self doth beget upon the natural apprehensions of God and his Truths written in the heart how can he be thought susceptible of the other measure which dependeth onely upon Revelation and Divine Tradition We conclude therefore that these Precognitions are first to be handled as matters requisite to fit the mind of a natural man to receive that which is to follow after because I conceive not that the Principles of the life of Godlinesse which are to follow are to be delivered as the products of these fore-going Truths but onely as matters subsequent unto the same in respect of the order of things to be taught These Praecognita are Praesupponenda but not Principia because I take a Principle of Godlinesse to be such a Truth from which a Conclusion of divine faith and love may flow But that cannot flow from any truth which is entertained upon meer natural Grounds as I suppose without spiritual Revelation and Illumination for divine Faith as it is the gift of God and not the product of humane Reasoning so it must needs have a higher Principle then these Precognitions namely some truth as revealed immediately by God unto the Conscience to convince it that he doth offer himselfe unto it to be a Saviour And this is the reason why I would have the Precognitions and the Principles of Godlinesse distinguished namely because they are truths of a different nature yet they are subordinate but so that the latter cannot follow the former without some speciall work of God upon the mind Concerning the Principles THe Principles of the life of Godlinesse are such Truths as set the mind upon the apprehension of supernatural Objects and beget thereby the acts of divine Faith therein which worketh through love in the whole Man all which is acceptable unto God Now all the Truths which beget divine Faith and Love proceed from one Root which is the Tenor of the Covenant which God hath appointed to be offered from the Scriptures by the Preaching of the Gospel in his name to be believed and entertained by all for all that God doth aime at in his dealing with Man-kind next unto the manifestation of the glory of his goodnesse over all his Creatures is chiefly this to shew himselfe a Saviour in uniting man by a Covenant Psal 73. 24. 2 Tim. 4. 7. of Grace unto himselfe that he being guided by his Counsel and having kept the faith therein may afterward be received into glory The Covenant of Grace then is the great and fundamental Principle of all the Principles of the life of Godlinesse for as there is none other way appointed to unite man unto God and restore us again from our fall to integritie but this way of a Covenant so there is nothing which we can do acceptably towards God or profitably for our own salvation but that which is done in order to the Tenor thereof Whence followeth also that all our knowledge is not otherwise useful nor to be sought after upon any other ground but as it leadeth to the observation of the Covenant nor to be entertained for any other aime but as it is subordinate unto the Tenor thereof for as no man ever was is or can be saved but he that is faithful in the Covenant of Grace with God so no matter of knowledge can be saving to any man but that which inableth him to keep the Tenor thereof Hereunto then all truths both Theoretical and Practical are finally to be referred and therefore in the Doctrine of the life of Godlinesse the Covenant must be made the ground of all the principles of Faith from which the duties of obedience must flow And I am fully perswaded both upon the grounds of found reason which a natural morall man is capable of and upon the grounds of divine Testimony and spiritual experience that all doubtful matters in Divinity whether they concern the points of Knowledge or of Practice may not onely be resolved by the right understanding of Gods aime towards us and of our dutie towards him in the Covenant but that the Resolutions thereof of what kind soever must be examined by and applyed unto the Analogy of Faith concerning the Covenant before ever they can bring true peace to the Conscience of any man and therefore my advice shall be unto those who will undertake any part of this Work that they keep alwayes the Covenant in their eye as Marriners do the North point of the Compass to steer their Course by it in all their Meditations for it is mainly for want of this Directory that both in our Notions and Actions concerning Religion we run such wild courses nor is it possible as I conceive ever to unite the Professors of Christianity to each other to heale their Breaches and Divisions in Doctrine and Practice and to make them live together as brethren in one Spirit ought to do without the same sense of the Covenant by which they may be made to perceive the termes upon which God doth unite all those that are his Children unto himselfe and upon which every one that is in Covenant with God is bound in Conscience through love unto God to maintain the unitie of the Spirit in the bond of peace with those that are his Children who all alike and by the same very way are in Covenant with him The knowledge of the Covenant then being the fundamental Principle whereunto all other Truths are to be reduced that they may be received unto the end for which they are revealed we shall endeavour to shew what the Doctrines of divine Faith are which are subordinate thereunto and which by vertue of that subordination are able to beget love towards God in a believing soul for no doctrine of Faith doth otherwise oblige any man to love and obedience towards God then as it is revealed to manifest Gods love unto us as he is become our Saviour and to make us faithfull towards him in the Covenant I conceive then that all the Doctrines of divine Faith tend either to the erecting and settling of the Covenant of Grace with us or to the confirmation of our Faith in the truth thereof To Erect and settle the Covenant with us we must needs know 1. The true Instrument of the Covenant wherein it is revealed 2. The things belonging to the true Tenor thereof as they are offered
up Of the First What is meant by a Body of Practicall Divinity BY Practicall Divinity is meant the revealed truths of God concerning the obedience of the faith which is to be yielded unto his will There is a two-fold Divine Truth the one is to be contemplated which is the Object of the Understanding and Remembrance the other is to be practised which is the Object of the Will and Affections The first as we partake of it is the Conformity of our Intellectuall faculty to the testimony of Gods Word when we conceive aright of his meaning therein The second as we partake 2 Pet. 1. 22. 3. 1. 1 John 1. 16. Rom. 12. 1 2. of it is the Conformity of the purposes of our heart to that which is known to be Gods will when we prove how good perfect and acceptable it is That first is in the Notions of the Mind to beget Knowledge This other is in the Conviction of the Conscience to beget Resolutions and obediential Performance Of the first sort of truth Christ saith If ye continue in my Word ye shall know the truth Joh. 8. 31 32. Of the second he saith He that doth truth cometh to the light Joh. 3. 21. So then as there is a contemplative and intelligible so there is a Practicable truth that is a truth to be done which is the action of Vertue for Christ in Joh. 3. v 20 21. doth oppose the doing of evil and the doing of truth that is Vice and Vertue to one another He saith every one that doth evil that is who is vicious in his life hateth the light but he that doth truth that is whose life is vertuous and upright commeth to the light As darknesse is to light so truth is opposite to all falshood not only to that of ignorance and errour but especially to that of lying and deceitfulness which are no less inseparable companions of vice then sincerity and uprightness are of vertue in the souls of men Now both the Intellectual and Practical truth is originally existâ—nt in the living word as in the principle and fountain and from thence by the testimony of Jesus which is the Spirit of Prophesie in the Scriptures it is derived unto us as to a receptacle and vessel when by it we are sanctified according to Christ's Prayer John 17 17. Sanctifie them in thy truth thy Word is truth the Word preached by the Apostles and Prophets is both exhorting and testifying that is both Practical and Theoretical concerning that truth which in God is essential but as it is manifested to us it is the Grace of God which bringeth salvation Tit. 2. 11. Hence it is that nothing ought or may be called Theology but that which is taught by the Divine Oracles 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 can only furnish us with that knowledge which is true Theology and whether it be in the Theoretical or Practical matters nothing is true Divinity but that which is Divine truth nor is any thing a Divine truth but that which is manifested by the Word of God the Word then to us is the Standard of Truth Now although the Action of the understanding must of necessity be Antecedent to all our Acts of truth because the will is a knowing faculty and cannot act orderly without the Understanding yet the Theoretical truths notionally apprehended bring the soul to no perfection of happiness except they become fruitfull in the actions of vertue The Notional Science of all Gods truth and of his whole will as it may be in the brain alone and without the practice whereunto that Science doth oblige the heart is more hurtfull then profitable to our felicity It had been better saith Peter not to have known the way of righteousnesse then 2 Pet. 2. 21. John 3. 17. after they have known it to turn from the holy Commandment If ye know these things saith Christ happy are ye if ye do them whence it followeth that if ye do them not you are not happy although you know them And the Apostle James doth place the blessedness of a man in his Deed as distinct from his bare knowledge when he saith He that is not a Jam. 1. 21 25. hearer of the Word only but a doer of the Work this man shall be blessed in his â—eed The happiness of his condition is made perfect in his Deed. Whence it is evident that Practicall truths import us and reach our hapinesse more neerly then Theoreticall because that which wee know although it be a truth is no part of our felicity nor a true blessing of God unto us except it either bring forth an injoyment of the life of God in us or else result from that enjoyment to us for the substance of all our felicity unto all eternity is nothing else but our union with God which is the enjoyment of his life and this life is only enjoyed then when by his truth he liveth in us and we in him His life in us is spiritual light and power Light is in the understanding and power is to move conformably to Gods will in the whole inward Man The Light sheweth him to us the Power maketh us and him one we may know him at a distance but we cannot feel his life and move in him except he be in us and we one with him The knowledge therefore hath less of the enjoyment then the power of life but there is a two-fold knowledg of Gods truth The one goeth before the enjoyment of his life and the other followeth upon it The knowledge which goeth before the enjoyment of Gods life is the true light which lighteth every man that cometh into the world Joh. 1. 9. this light is that which may be known of God which he doth manifest in Men and sheweth unto them He doth manifest in Men both that which doth make them clearly see his eternal power and God-head so that they are without excuse and that also which maketh them shew the work of Rom. 1. 19 20. Rom. 2. 15. his Law written in their hearts All this is manifested in them and shewed unto them partly by the Creation of the World partly by their own Conscience but yet all this and much more then this revealed both in the Law given to the Jews and in the Gospel given both to Jews and Gentiles I say all this both naturall which is common and supernaturall which is specially revealed knowledge nay although it might be in such a high degree as to manifest all Mysteries unto them may be fruitlesse and he that hath it without blessedness and destitute of the life of God for the truth which is both manifested in the natural mans heart and shewed unto him by the Creation is held up by him in unrighteousness Rom. 1. 18. And although he doth know God yet he glorifieth him not as God vers 21. And the Jews which had the form of knowledge in the Law and could teach others did not
manifold disputes and inconsiderate heats of men about matters extra-fundamental and in the different practises of things which are but circumstantial a way of Peace and Unity should either be found for our selves or shewed unto others by any other means then by a demonstration of our agreement in all truths and duties which are necessary for Salvation in respect of God and profitable for edification in respect of one another And this is that which our Brethren in the Latter part of their letter hint at when they tell us that such a body of Divinity will not onely be serviceable for Schollars but even for Teachers to furnish them with more usefull matter in their Sermons then now they are able to find in the books of controversie whereunto almost all their Learning is reduced representing unto us the evil which befalleth most of their Churches viz. that they are overwhelmed with matters of Controversie that their controversal writings are void of Piety full of bitterness and no ways tending to edification And that their young Schollers of Divinity being trained up to this way of contentious Learning for want of better Teaching prove in the course of their Ministry very often void of all Charitableness and strangers to peaceable Affections Which evils by our Pious assistance and endeavours they hope may be remedied if we would gather out of our Authors who handle matters of Divinity in a Practical way as they relate to conscience a full and sound body of saving and savory truths which may be put into their hands to waken them unto Righteousness For they conceive not amiss that by Gods blessing such an Instrument of knowledge and way of Teaching which it will produce may not onely season their spirits with meek and humble thoughts concerning themselves and with loving kind and merciful affections towards their Neighbours which will make them peaceable but may work upon them the power of Godliness when they shall perceive how the Theoretical and necessary Truths of Faith which they make now matters of strife and have disregarded as to their true usefulness ought to be applied unto their own and other mens consciences to teach them to walk with God in all their wayes And indeed this is a sad matter which not onely those Churches groan under but all the rest more or lesse have cause to bemoan That because many in the Ministry do spend their strength and wit upon needlesse and curious dispensations about matters of private opinion rather then upon the application of known and necessary Doctrines unto conscience because these disputations are agitated with more provocation to heat and animosity then to regular and modest searches after the way to resolve doubts impartially and because the smallest differences of opinions beget ordinarily the extreamest differences of affections when men study no Rules of moderation in respect of Passions or of being wise to Sobriety in respect of contemplations or of mutual forbearance in respect of actions all which are things if not hated yet suspected slighted and neglected almost every where in this age I say because these disorders which like weeds in a Garden not weeded overgrow the Church have taken place almost every where it is very doleful to see that the main and great truths of the Profession are extreamly neglected and not at all Cultivated and that by this means the adversaries who lie in wait to deceive the simple and watch to discredit our Religion do get all the advantages which almost they can desire to bring their ends to passe upon us and disrespect upon our Profession for when the frames of matters are discomposed as now they are in all the Churches by reason of the alterations which are brought upon the States of the world it is no great difficulty for cunning men to work Sinister impressions and thoughts of contempt against our Profession upon weak Spirits who know not the substance and true grounds of our Religion but look onely as most men do superficially upon the outward appearance and the worst side of other mens behaviours and failings For these causes if we have any sense of Honour for the Truth and if we have any desire as in conscience we are bound to have to maintain the Credit of our Religion and to free it from the occasions of all these prejudices we should set our selves earnestly to hold forth upon the Common and undenyable grounds of Truth the substantial Excellency of the Doctrine of Piety which by the making up of this Practical Body of Divinity may be done and by none other way so effectually As for our own credit amongst our brethren in reference to the Profession if we study not to maintain it in Gods way by the Propagation of the Truth wherewith we are intrusted certainly God will blast it more then ever it hath been raised Nor can we expect that any thing will uphold our Reputation in Gods way amongst our Brethren so much as the satisfaction which they expect and we ought to give unto them in this their desire for herein they put us unto the real proof of our sincerity whether or no we are willing to do any thing for the Faith and for them and if in this we fail them we shall deserve to lose our Credit with them and that most justly The Ministers of the Churches of Great Brittane have always been esteemed by the rest of the reformed Protestants to be sound in judgement learned in the way of Piety and zealous in the practice thereof moderate in their affections and discreet in their writings against Dissentors Therefore in the work of reconciliation between the Lutherans the Reformed Churches they were never excepted against by either side but rather accepted as Mediators of the difference by both sides but chiefly by the side which is best reformed whose confidence towards us and esteem of us is clearly manifested by the tenor of this letter which hath been written to us about the body of Practical Divinity for therein with a great deal of modesty and humility they not only defer a great deal of respect unto the worth that God hath put upon us but they invite us to receive the Honour of being their leaders to Godliness and their Teachers unto after ages and although we may not without presumption think the better of our selves because others prefer us in Honour to themselves or have any high thoughts of our own sufficiency for who is sufficient for such things and Christ we know is the only leader and teacher because our Brethren esteem highly of us by submission unto the Grace of God in us yet if there be any truth of generosity in our Spirits or any resentment of duty towards such as love us in the Lord we cannot be insensible of so mighty a provocation as this unto love and good works but with all zeal in true Humility giving glory unto God we are bound to the utmost of our abilities to impart
practise that which they taught but by their transgression of the Law they did dishonour God Rom. 2. 21 22 23. And the Gentiles to whom together with the Jews the light of the Gospel was and is revealed shall be condemned because they loved darkness rather then light Joh. 3. 19. And he that may know all Mysteries may yet want Charity and be nothing as to the happiness and life of God But although all this knowledge of Truth which is Antecedent to the enjoyment of the life of God may be void of the practise of Truth and so come short of happinesse yet it may also through the practise of Truth become effectuall unto happiness if God make it fruitfull which he doth according to his own pleasure in giving saving faith whereby the heart is purified that it may become obedient to all his will by which means the soul partaketh of the life of God and becometh truly happy This knowledge then doth not otherwise make us happy but as it bringeth us unto this estate As for the other knowledge of Gods Truth which followeth upon our union with him it is nothing else but a further confirmation of the soul in the truth which it hath received unto life and an enlargement thereof by the enjoyment of God in his power for Christ doth give us two promises to that effect The first is that by the truth of obedience we shall come to the clearing of doubts concerning intellectual matters for Joh 7 v. 17. he saith If any man will do the will of him that sent me he shall know of the Doctrine whether it be of God or whether I speak of my self And the second is that upon the keeping of the Commandments both the Father and the Sonne will manifest unto the soul which loveth them their presence in love For Christ saith Joh. 14. 21 23. He that hath my Commandments and keepeth them he it is that loveth me and he that loveth me shall be loved of my Father and I will love him and manifest my love unto him and if any man love me he will keep my words and my Father will love him and we will come unto him and make our abode with him Here the manifestation of Gods presence which is both the light and power of life unto the soul is the consequent of the obedience of faith and so it is in that of St John 1 Epist Chap. 5. 20. And we know that the Son of God is come and hath given us an understanding that we may know him that is true and we are in him that is true even in his Son Jesus Christ this is the true God and eternall life This is a reflexive knowledge from God upon our selves in the enjoyment of him as our happiness and so is that 1 Joh. 3. 14. We know that we have passed from death to life because we love the brethren So then we see that all truth as it is the object of contemplation is nothing else but a Preparative to or a consequent of the Truth which is the object of Action The Practicall truth then is the main thing to be heeded for to it the Theoretical is either subservient and subordinate or a necessary and infallible effect The Apostle maketh this evident by the nature of his Ministry which Tit. 1. 1. he saith Is to be an Apostle according to the faith of Gods Elect and the acknowledgment of the truth which is after Godlinesse Intimating clearly that as his Apostle-ship was appointed by God to beget faith in the Elect by their acknowledgment of the truth so the acknowledgment of the truth and faith is appointed to beget the life of Godliness in Believers Therefore as the end and perfection of his Apostleship was the begetting of faith by the acknowledgment of the truth nor was he warranted to teach or do any thing which did not tend to that end and effect So the end and perfection of all true knowledge is the life of Godlinesse nor is any knowledge in spirituall things warrantable or any thing to be accounted a truth which doth not tend to this end and effect Godliness therefore which is the practise of divine Truth is the measure of all intellectuall truths for whatsoever matter of knowledge is not proportionate subordinate and subservient unto the production of the life of God in the soul of a Beleever is not to be received as a divine Truth for the faith of Gods Elect is in the acknowledgement of none other truth but of that which is after Godlinesse From all which we shall inferre this Conclusion That the study of Practical Divinity is of farre greater concernment unto all and far more to be heeded esteemed and entertained in the Schools of the Prophets then the study of contemplative Mysteries and notions of Divinity whereupon Controversal matters are ordinarily attendants And seeing there are so many bodies and Systemes of Theoretical and Controversal matters that it would be no easie task to any man to reckon them all up and yet there is not so much as one compleat body or Systeme of Practical Divinity found in all the Churches whereunto we see nevertheless that all Theoretical Truths ought to be referred directed as to their end it is evident that therein there is a manifest defect and that much is wanting hereby to the increase of publique Edification to the supply of spiritual Consolation and to the settlement of a sound Reformation in all the Churches which may be remedied by a Body of this nature Now by this which we call a Body of Divinity is meant a full Collection and an orderly disposition of all divine Truths which are after godliness under several distinct heads and matters to the end that from the holy Scriptures the man of God may be perfectly instructed and throughly furnished with sufficient helps and directions which by the Spirit of Faith may not onely make him wise unto salvation but able also to work all his works in God And concerning this Body Seeing I am intrusted and conscionably obliged as in the presence of God to solicite the same towards those that are able to contribute their Talents to make it up I conceive it may be an advantage to the Work to offer up the parts thereof unto their consideration that the number of tasks being distinguished and known such as God shall inable and stir up to manifest his truth and to joyn with others in compleating this work may know what tasks to chuse and how to concurre with each other in elaborating the same I shall therefore with due respect unto better judgements offer these following thoughts unto such as shall be undertakers in this Work First I lay this Fundamental Rule to be observed in the contrivance of the whole and of every part of the Work viz. That the Number and Measure of the Parts of this Bodie should be made sutable and proportionate to the end thereof that as nothing should be
brought into it which is not proper and useful to the attainment of the end so nothing should be left out which may be requisite and subservient thereunto We shall therefore look upon the end and use of the Work that we may find the parts thereof without defect and without superfluity The truth of Godliness which is the Object of Practical Divinitieâ— is the manifestation of the life of God The aime for which this Truth is to be attested unto the world and practised by such as know and believe it is that we may enjoy God by partaking of his life in the divine nature having escaped the corruption which is in the world through lust 2 Pet. 1. 4. This life of God in the divine nature is communicable unto us by none other means but by the knowledge of Christ and the truth which is in him Joh. 14. 6 7 8 9. and 7. 3. Eph 4. 18 19 20 21. Colos 3. 10. and 2 Pet. 1. 2 3. And that which Christ doth communicate unto us of this life is made perceptible unto us by two properties of Life wrought in us the one is the Light the other is the power of life By the light of life we are made wise unto salvation and by the power of life wee are enabled to worke out our salvation that is to do all our workes in God This then is the compleat end of practical Divinity to teach men the wisdome which is profitable unto the salvation of their souls and the direction of the whole conversation to Gods will that they may be enabled whatever they do to do all in God by walking in his light and what Doctrine soever doth not directly tend unto this end is no part of this Body and ought not to be mentioned in it but whatsoever doth thus tend thereunto ought not to be omitted To deliver then all and neither more nor lesse then all the Doctrines and truths which may directly be helpful to advance a man unto the attainement of this end I conceive that this body of Divinity should be made up of two Generall parts The first containing the positive and undeniable Truths The second the doubtful cases of Conscience concerning the practise of Godliness That part which is positive should contain concerning the life of Godlines three things First The Precognitions to prepare the mind to think of that life Secondly The Principles by which that life is begotten Thirdly The Parts or Acts wherein that life doth consist By the Precognitions I mean such truths as must be taken notice of and acknowledged or at least not contradicted and doubted of before the Doctrine of Godliness can be taught and without the acknowledgement of which no man can be rationally dealt withall or induced to intend to live unto God according to his revealed will By the Principles of the life of Godliness I mean the Fundamentall Doctrines of divine Truth which begetteth love unto God and thereby obligeth the conscience unto all dutifulnesse of obedience towards him By the Parts and acts wherein the life of Godlinesse doth consist I mean all things which either substantially or circumstantially belong thereunto to make it up as the state of the Perfect man in God By the Substantials of this life I mean two things First All truths which discover the inward frame and regeneration of the soul which liveth the life of God Secondly All truths which hold forth the outward frame the way of walking and the work of the Profession which is proper to that life and inseparable from the ends thereof By the Circumstantials of the life of Godlinesse I understand all the different outward states and particular callings of Professors wherein God doth set people in this life as of Husband and Wife Father and Child Master and Servant of Magistrate and Subject of Pastor and flock and such like To all which severall duties belong and thereunto several directions are accordingly to be given to shew how every one should walk in all truth with a good Conscience before God and Man In this discovery of truths we may find concerning the Tree of life as it were the foyl prepared before it be Planted in the Precognitions the Root which is to be Planted in the Principles the Stemme when it is grown up in the Substantials and the branches after the full growth in the Circumstantials of the way of Godlinesse so that in this Body of Divinity the man of God should be compleated and set forth First As it were in his Head and Intellectuals by the Recognitions and Principles Secondly In his heart and vital Motions by the Substantials And lastly In his Limbs and outward Members without which he is not a compleat man by the Circumstantials of his life and as none of these parts or of the things necessary to make up the same should be wanting in this Body so the matters belonging to each of these heads ought to be delivered fully yet not superfluously that is to say so as they should not only contain the Marrow but the flesh and full substance of all profitable truths yet without needlesse Repetitions large Amplifications Retorical Digressions and enlargements which to move mens affections rather then to convince their Conscience and inlighten their understandings are frequently used by writers of Practicall Matters And as these Generall parts of the whole Body ought thus to follow one another in respect of their naturall dependance upon each other so the matters subordinate unto every one of these ought to be set in a method which is positive and proper to their nature that there may be a coherence of all the parcels in the whole without any redundancy And although such a Body of truths fully and clearly delivered might suffice to Men that are free from all prejudice and of able parts to direct them in all Cases of Practise which may be incident to the Course of their life yet because the work is not to be compiled for them alone but for others also and because many doubts and scruples of Conscience are and will be raised partly by the weaknesse of some partly by the malice of others which every ordinary capacity is not and will not be able readily to resolve by it selfe although it be helped with the undoubted Principles with the standing Truths and with the rules of practise which such a compleat Bodie of Divinitie may containe therefore to supply this defect of knowledge which although but accidental yet is unavoidable an appendix or Supplement of special doubts and cases of conscience for I suppose the common doubts viz. such as are incident to meer natural men will be cleared by the Doctrine of the Body it self should be added unto the Body in a method relating the order of Matters delivered in each part where the ground of the decision of the doubtful case is to be found And if this be done I cannot see what could be desired or further wished for in
ensue our performance of their request which are all the effects of the truth which is in the Gospel as by it self it is usefull unto all sorts of persons young and old Teachers and those that are taught Godly and ungodly Peaceable and contentious True Professors and those that erre from the Truth whether by Hypocrisie or Security or Obstinacy and in a word to all men aswell of this age as of that which shall arise hereafter all the advantages of Instruction Direction correction comfort Reproof and conviction tending to set forward peace and joy through Righteousness and Holiness in the souls of men or whatsoever blessing else any shall stand in need of in their several conditions all this I say we are Debtors to procure unto them by the means which are put in our hands to that effect for at this time both God and Men do call upon us to make this use of our Peculiar Talent of the word of life in holding it forth unto them If therefore we should hide our Talent and put this candle which the Lord hath lighted among us to give light unto all that are in the house under a bushel that is if we condescend not to this their desire we shall wrong all the Churches we shall rob these in particular that sue for it of what is their due and as much as in us lieth we shall make the word of Truth ineffectual and shew our selves adversaries to his vertue and the manifestation thereof which how the Lord will in the End take at our hands I shall not need to mention But I shall heartily rather pray that in love to himself and to his Truth our spirits may be stirred up to behave our selves in the opportunity of doing this service as shall be most answerable unto our own happiness and the glory and the kingdom of Christ whereunto we are called These are the considerations which from the nature of the Duty it self should induce us to the performance thereof which our Brethren in their Letter having onely touched and pointed at I have thought good a little further thus to enlarge that whatever shall be undertaken in this kind may proceed from the right Principle and frame of heart which will make the work acceptable unto God and profitable unto those that go about it For if the work be not intended upon these grounds and upon these alone directly and principally without worldly considerations and humane Respects as leading Motives it will find but small success and little conduct from the Spirit of grace to give it a furtherance because no enterprise can have more strength then its chief Aim and Object can give it And although some other Arguments of this nature and to the same effect might be alledged or the same might be further insisted upon perhaps not unprofitably yet because these Motives are the chief to which all others may be referred and so evident that they cannot as I conceive be denyed and of such efficacy if laid to heart that where they take not none other in this kind are like to perswade therefore I shall not insist any further upon them but come to the second sort of Perswasions which in order unto these foregoing may perhaps adde something to our zeal and resolution as it proceedeth from a mixt affection which even good men are inclinable sometime to entertain rather as they are men then as they are the Children of the most High depending immediately upon his Will If we look then in the second place upon our selves as we are amongst the Professors of the Gospel engaged not only to maintain the credit of the Profession but to advance the Reformation of the Churches both at home and abroad and to concurre with Forrain Protestants to assist the Common Cause of Religion against the Enemies thereof we shall find nothing more sutable to the credit of our Profession or more advantagious to our own and others reformation or more effectual in our concurrence to assist Forrainers in the Common Cause then the Compleating of this Body of Practical Divinity will be The Credit of our Profession doth include a twofold Notion the one doth look at the Profession in it self the other at us as Professors in both these there is some matter of Credit to be upheld as to men In reference to the Profession we are bound in conscience seeing we believe it to be the saving Truth of God to make it Creditable and Honourable before all men approving it unto the conscience to be such as we believe it to be And in reference to our-selves the good opinion others have of our sincerity zeal and ability in the way of the Profession doth oblige us in honesty to endeavour to the utmost to answer their expectation and maintain the Honour of our good name in relation to our Religion In these respects I say the compleating of this Practical Body of Divinity will be of special use as well for the honour of the Profession as for our credit in upholding it For whereas nothing doth so much either scandalize the weak or stagger the ignorant at the profession of the Protestant Religion or give advantage on the one hand unto the Papists to seduce silly souls to a superstitious worship as this reproach That we are all broken to pieces among our-selves and divided in our sense about Religion having no certainty in any thing on the other hand unto the self-conceited Libertines to entice high minded Zelots to the pride of singular Saintship as this other Reproach That we rest in practice of formes and being destitute of the power of Godliness have nothing that is spiritual in our Profession Whereas I say both these Adversaries labour different ways and upon colourable pretences taken from particular misdemeanors wrongfully applyed unto the whole substance of Religion to discredit and blemish the profession of the truth which we Ministers are chiefly bound to uphold there can be no course either more answerable to the nature of our Calling or so proper to stop the mouths of these Adversaries or so fit to settle the wavering thoughts of unstable souls or more effectual to vindicate the credit of the Profession from the aspersions of division of uncertainty of formality and of the want of spiritual power then to make up this Practical Body of Divinity For it being composed of those many Positive doctrines which are undeniably evident in the Scriptures which being understood will be cleer to the conscience by their own light which will manifest all the true grounds of spiritual knowledge not fantastically but with real demonstrations and which unanimously all Protestants will fully acknowledge to be the substance of their Profession and Religion I say those Doctrines being gathered into a full body will stand as an uncontroulable witness for the credit of the Truth against all these injurious reproaches Nor can it be imagined that in the great multitude and variety of particular Opinions in the
to advance any one of these without a reference to all the rest they are to be judged false deceitful and destructive to the cause and truth of Christianity Therefore we ought to acknowledge none to be a servant to the Cause of Christ that is a true Protestant but he who walketh by this Rule of the new creature and upon such be peace and upon the Israel of God As for me I shall by Gods grace never entertain any designes and practices or favour any motions and pretences which are undertaken and prosecuted with subtilty or with a strong hand against the persons of a party disagreeing from judgement upon this ground because they favour not my way but I shall make the prosecution of their forenamed interests as by spiritual means and wayes they are approveable to the conscience of every rational man the open and onely rule of my walking in this Cause And if any man shall find me straying from this path and shew me that I am not in it he will oblige me to thank him for converting a Sinner from the error of his Way Hitherto I have given you my sense of the Common Cause of Protestants Now I shall adde a word or two concerning that which I suppose doth weaken our hands in prosecuting of it And that is partly an ordinary mistake partly an universal neglect of Duty in the Actors for it The mistake is in two things First That most meaning well to the Protestant Cause as they do understand it act all rather against the adversaries thereof then for the Cause it self Secondly That when they act so they take up no rule of Reason and Moderation in dealing with adversaries for their good or upon grounds of Justice but give way to Passion and Hatred and all that is imagined to be hurtful to them is supposed to be advantagious to themselves both which are courses altogether preposterous unto Christianity For the true way of advancing Christianity is not destructive but edificative that is doth not intend to overthrow and build at leisure afterward as the Method of some is but it doth intend to build first Christs kingdom that thereby it may overthrow the frame of Satans Policy for it holdeth forth the word of life and truth that by the manifestation of light it may dispell error and darkness And when this is done then it proceeds to the condemnation of the wayes of unrighteousness first it bringeth our thoughts unto the obedience of Christ that then every strong Hold of Satan and every imagination and high thing which exalteth it self against the knowledge of God may be cast down for except we bring Christ with us and set him a working upon the Spirits of men that are in the snares of Satan and led captive at his pleasure we shall never be able to bind the strong man that hath possession of their souls and far less shall we be able to spoil him of his goods which are the lusts and the inclinations of the flesh whereby he doth act self will in them that they may not be subject to the will of God The way then of Christianity is more directly Positive then Negative and therefore it is a mistake to think that the refuting and opposing of adversaries is the main business which ought to be prosecuted in these times but a far greater mistake it is to think that by making the wayes of our adversaries odious or by vexing their persons and prejudging them any way by hook or crook as we use to say in the freedom and conveniencies of professing their Tenets we shall profit our Cause or gain much upon or against them No surely for this is a far greater Mistake then the other and yet this is the ordinary practice which is most commonly followed by those who are zealous for the Cause But this way cannot porsibly prove successefull because it doth quite mistake the interest of Christianity which is nothing else but by the knowledge of the Scriptures and the life of the Spirit to bring men to walk orderly before God and men and live in the Communion which the Members of Christ owe to each other And if we aim not at this even towards our Adversaries to bring them hereunto we deal not with them as Christians ought to do but forsake our profession Now it is neither the convincing them of their particular Errors without further instruction nor the laying open of their shame nor the vexing of their Spirits by troubling their persons or stoping their professions that will bring them to any of these holy duties which uphold the truth of Christianity but this way of dealing will rather set them further off in their Affections both from the love of the truth and from us so that when we shall offer them means tending directly to that which is truely their way to life they will reject the same only because they come from that hand which hath made it self utterly hateful unto them These mistakes weaken the Cause greatly but the universal neglect which is in Two main things doth it far more The First is The neglect of duty in using spiritual means and in a spiritual way towards Dissenters The Second is The neglect of brotherly Communion in spiritual things which is the last point of the main interest of the Cause The first neglect which is of the means sutable to the prosecution of the Cause doth proceed from the forenamed mistakes which indeed make some Professors manage Protestancy as a State Religion rather then a true profession of Christianity and so they take their strength chiefly against Dissenters from State-Authority and practices subordinate thereunto in a worldly way of Policy rather then from the work of God and the work of the Spirit And because many of the active men who have parts and so love to appear in the Front and to take matters upon them have been byassed this way some for one some for another interest of State making themselves and all matters of Religion subservient thereunto therefore it hath pleased God to befool them in their Counsels and to suffer Statan to set Instruments awork who have out acted them in all these wayes but if they had walked by Faith in simplicity and godly sincerity according to the Rules of the Gospel within their own Sphere not according to worldly wisdom if they had in a cause of Christianity made use of none other means but of those which Christ hath used and sanctified unto them and in that way by which he and his Apostles have shewed us they should be used they should not have miscarried as they have done by trusting to the arm of flesh nor could Satan either have over-reached them in their Counsels or stopped them in their proceedings which now he hath been able to do because he is of old Master of the Trade of policy and power which they of late as young Prentices were beginning to take up and this
Scripture hath left to every mans conscience to work upon in the several Occurrences of his life wherein the variety of his Circumstances changes the nature of the action and makes a man doubtful what to do or not to do is to be the matter of that which you call Case-Divinity Now who doth not see that these two must be joyned together either in one body of Treatise or else so if they be two several Volumes and Treatises yet in the Method they may be all one so that the cases must be referred every one to his Action of which he is a Case just as in Grammer the Exceptions must needs be referred to the Rules and every Exception to his own Rule otherwise all is in a confusion so it is here the cases are as it were Exceptions of the General Rule which therefore must needs be first delivered from whence you see that I am not of your minde when you say that Case-Divinity must first be ruled before Practical Divinity for Case Divinity cannot be Ruled except you have first a Rule to Rule it by Now the Rule is that which I say is the matter of Practical Divinity viz. all such expresse Determinations as the Scripture doth deliver concerning all the parts and actions either of the general and substantial or of the particular and accidental state of Christianity When these expresse determinations are set down in their natural order then we have a Rule of understanding and conscience by which every man is able to direct himself afterwards in the several Occurrences as his occasions may fall out for the spirit of Obedience dwelling in his conscience and being informed and strengthened by the Rule of the Word will discern the duty which is most requisite to be performed in the particular occasion wherein a man is Neither is it possible as I suppose that all the incident cases of this nature can be truly determined so that they will satisfie every mans conscience For the different measures of knowledge and of the apprehensions of the Rule make the conscience doubtful And therefore except the setled and infallible Rules be first received and proposed all particular decisions of doubtful cases will become nothing else but a matter of inextricable dispute by which means instead of a Body of Practical Truths we shall have a new kind of Polemical Divinity in matters of Practice because the preposterous course being taken to begin at doubts before the true Rules be known whereby to frame our life we shall hardly ever finde the right way For after that different opinions are once taken up in matters of doubt we see how hardly they are laid down and how that men before they will seem to have erred in the particular determination of the doubt will sometimes strain the sense of many Principles as in matters of Theory the Papists do plainly Therefore I think that to begin at cases is a preposterous course every way and to do as you say that these cases should first be sent into all Churches to be allowed of and then published I think is dangerous to cause much contradiction and a great deal more laborious then to make up the chief and more profitable part of the Work which if it be well done may stand by it self without contradiction or fear of opposition being clearly the truth both in the Word and in every mans Conscience And then either when this is done or whiles it is a doing if some be set a work to gather Cases as you say out of all M. S. Letters conferences correspondences c. he ought to referre the Cases to the Heads of the Practical part so that all the Cases stand in the same order wherein the Infallible Rules of Practical Directions were delivered corresponding in the same matters as more particularly and as it were Individual Determinations of the same End and Means of an Action or rather as an application of the Rule delivered to a particular object wherein every body might not hit the right way of proceeding FINIS An Extract of a Letter written by George Horne Doctor in Divinity and publick Professor of History in the University of Leyden To Samuel Hartlib Esq IDea illa Theologiae Practica Domini Duraei it a me affecit ut vix quicquam a Te hactenùs profectum magis Crede mihi nullum Divinius remedium sedandis illis Polemicis inter Protestantes affectibus rixosis verae pietati propagandae etiam apud Atheos Haereticos convenientius Nunquam illud ingens Irenicum Opus ad optatum stabilem finem deducetur nisi hoc effecto Incredibiliter mihi tota Dispositio Scopus placent Et quid quaeso remorae quo minùs Vester Ille Iosua Suâ Authoritate id intra breve tempus Orbi exhibere possit Abundat Britannia Viris capacissimis ad hunc laborem natis Longè profectò satiùs in ejusmodl Opere occupari curas manus plurium quà m in consarcinandis Commentariis Scripturarum quibus jam obrutus est Orbis Ecclesiae velut sub onere quodam gemunt Legam autem relegam totum Opus attentiùs si quid incidat quod aliquid ad Templi illius Hierosolymitani structuram conferre possit studiosè annotabo quanquam profectò eâ in parte Vestrates palmam obtinent ut id Opus non aliundè quà m ab Anglia exspectare Christianus Orbis possit Contulerunt tot pientissimae Animae tot jam annis copiosam materiam quid restat nisi ut Salomo aliquis evocatis Artificibus Templum longè illo Ceremoniali magnificentius exstruat In English MR. Dury his Idea of Practical Divinity hath pleased me as much as any thing that ever you sent me Believe me there is not a more Soveraigne remedy then this for the Putting an end to the controversies and quarrels now between Protestants nor fitter for the Propagating of true piety even amongst Atheists and Hereticks That great Work of Pacification will never be brought to the desired end of settlement but by this means The whole Order and Scope of this Work do please me exceedingly And I pray you what can hinder Your Josua from imposing it on the World by his Authority within a short time England doth abound with men that are most fit for this Work and as it were born to perform it It were certainly much better to have the cares and hands of many men imployed about such a Work as this then in compiling of Commentaries on Scripture wherewith the world is already over whelmed and the Churches groan under them as under a burden But I will read over this whole Tract more heed fully and if any thing come into my mind which may conduce towards the building of this Temple of Jerusalem I will carefully set it down Although in this part your English men do so excell that the Christian World needs not to have it done by any else So many godly Souls having for these many